Method for generating contrast enhanced ultrasound images with varied imaging parameters and ultrasound imaging device performing the method

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a contrast enhanced ultrasound imaging method and an ultrasound imaging device. The method may include: determining a target imaging mode from preset imaging modes in response to the first instruction, where the preset imaging modes comprise a first contrast enhanced imaging mode and a second contrast enhanced imaging mode which have different frame rate; transmitting ultrasound waves to a target object and receiving ultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to the determined target imaging mode to obtain ultrasound echo signals; and generating a contrast enhanced image according to the ultrasound echo signals. An ultrasound imaging device is also provided.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of International ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2017/113307, filed with the China National IntellectualProperty Administration on Nov. 28, 2017 and entitled “RadiographicImaging Method and Ultrasonic Imaging Device”, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to ultrasound imaging, particularly to acontrast enhanced imaging method and an ultrasound imaging device

BACKGROUND

In recent years, contrast enhanced ultrasound imaging has played anincreasingly important role in the diagnosis of malignant diseases suchas liver cancer, thyroid cancer and breast cancer, etc. In particular,abdominal contrast enhanced imaging, represented by liver contrastenhanced imaging, has formed a unified clinical standard. For contrastenhanced ultrasound examination on organs such as thyroid, carotidartery and breast, etc., Europe and China have also issued correspondingclinical application guidelines.

Currently, the ultrasound imaging device can obtain dynamichigh-contrast enhanced images presenting the blood perfusion of thelesion and the surrounding normal tissues. Compared with normal tissues,the micro blood flow of malignant lesion tissues is more abundant andthe metabolic level is higher. The typical performance of thehemodynamics of the malignant lesion is rapid enhancement and rapidregression. In order to present the hemodynamic differences between thenormal tissues and the malignant lesions, the contrast enhanced imagingis required to have a certain frame rate. At the same time, in order toreduce the damage to the microbubbles so as to maximize the duration ofthe contrast, the common ultrasound imaging device usually has a framerate of 10 frame per second (fps) to 15 fps, and the frame rate cannotbe changed during the imaging.

Therefore, the existing ultrasound imaging device has fixed frame rate(such as 10 fps to 15 fps). When diagnosing certain diseases (such assmall blood-rich lesions), it may be difficult to obtain accurate orsatisfactory contrast enhanced images with the fixed frame rate, whichincreases the difficulty of diagnosing the disease to a certain extent.

SUMMARY

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide contrast enhancedimaging methods and ultrasound imaging devices in which an imaging modecan be selected according to requirements, and the contrast enhancedimages can be generated according to the imaging mode. Therefore, it isnot required to adjust the frame rate of the ultrasound imaging devicemultiple times, and the flexibility of the contrast enhanced imaging isincreased.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a contrast enhanced imagingmethod is provided, which may include:

receiving a first instruction;

determining a target imaging mode from preset imaging modes in responseto the first instruction, wherein, the preset imaging modes comprise afirst contrast enhanced imaging mode and a second contrast enhancedimaging mode, and a frame rate of the first contrast enhanced imagingmode is different from a frame rate of the second contrast enhancedimaging mode;

transmitting ultrasound waves to a target object and receivingultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to thedetermined target imaging mode to obtain ultrasound echo signals; and

generating a contrast enhanced image according to the ultrasound echosignals.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a contrast enhanced imagingmethod is provided, which may include:

transmitting ultrasound waves to a target object and receivingultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to a firstcontrast enhanced imaging mode to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal;

generating a first contrast enhanced image according to the firstultrasound echo signal;

receiving a mode switching instruction to switch to a second contrastenhanced imaging mode, wherein a frame rate of the first contrastenhanced imaging mode is different from a frame rate of the secondcontrast enhanced imaging mode;

transmitting ultrasound waves to the target object and receivingultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode to obtain a second ultrasound echosignal; and

generating a second contrast enhanced image according to the secondultrasound echo signal.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an ultrasound imagingdevice is provided, which may include:

a probe;

a transmitting circuit which excites the probe to transmit ultrasoundwaves to a target object;

a receiving circuit which receives ultrasound echoes returned from thetarget object through the probe to obtain an ultrasound echo signal;

a processor configured to process the ultrasound echo signal to obtainan ultrasound image of the target object;

a display which displays the ultrasound image;

wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a first instruction;

determine a target imaging mode from preset imaging modes in response tothe first instruction, wherein, the preset imaging modes comprise afirst contrast enhanced imaging mode and a second contrast enhancedimaging mode, and a frame rate of the first contrast enhanced imagingmode is different from a frame rate of the second contrast enhancedimaging mode;

transmit ultrasound waves to the target object and receive ultrasoundechoes returned from the target object according to the determinedtarget imaging mode to obtain ultrasound echo signals; and

generate a contrast enhanced image according to the ultrasound echosignals.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an ultrasound imagingdevice is provided, which may include:

a probe;

a transmitting circuit which excites the probe to transmit ultrasoundwaves to a target object;

a receiving circuit which receives ultrasound echoes returned from thetarget object through the probe to obtain an ultrasound echo signal;

a processor configured to process the ultrasound echo signal to obtainan ultrasound image of the target object;

a display which displays the ultrasound image;

wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit ultrasound waves to a target object and receive ultrasoundechoes returned from the target object according to a first contrastenhanced imaging mode to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal;

generate a first contrast enhanced image according to the firstultrasound echo signal;

receive a mode switching instruction to switch to a second contrastenhanced imaging mode, wherein a frame rate of the first contrastenhanced imaging mode is different from a frame rate of the secondcontrast enhanced imaging mode;

transmit ultrasound waves to the target object and receive ultrasoundechoes returned from the target object according to the second contrastenhanced imaging mode to obtain a second ultrasound echo signal; and

generate a second contrast enhanced image according to the secondultrasound echo signal.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storagemedium may be provided on which instructions may be stored. Theinstructions, when be executed in a computer, may enable the computer toexecute the methods above.

In the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the ultrasound imaging device may transmit ultrasound wavesto the target object and receive the ultrasound echoes returned from thetarget object to obtain the echo signals to generate the contrastenhanced image according to the imaging mode selected by the user. Thisway, the imaging mode can be selected according to the diagnosis needs,and the contrast enhanced image can be generated according to theimaging mode. Therefore, the contrast enhanced imaging is more flexibleand more accurate or satisfactory contrast enhanced image can beobtained, thereby reducing the difficulty of the diagnosis to thedisease.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device inone embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a contrast enhanced imaging method inone embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a main operation interface of theultrasound imaging device in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 (a) is a schematic diagram of an interface for selecting thefirst contrast enhanced imaging mode in one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 (b) is a schematic diagram of an interface for selecting thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode in one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an interface for manually determiningthe target frame rate in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an interface for automaticallydetermining the target frame rate in one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an interface for the programmable highframe rate contrast enhanced imaging in one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an interface for setting the high framerate parameter in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of the contrast enhanced imaging methodin another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart of the “manual high frame rate contrastenhanced imaging” mode in the applications of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of the “automatic high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging” mode in the applications of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic flowchart of the “programmable high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging” mode in the applications of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosurewill be described clearly and completely in connection with thedrawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part, but notall of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc. (if any) in thedescription, claims and the drawings of the present disclosure are usedto distinguish similar objects, but not mean a specific order orsequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can beinterchanged in appropriate circumstances so that the embodimentsdescribed herein can be implemented in an order other than what isillustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms “including” and“having” and any variations thereof are intended to mean non-exclusiveinclusions. For example, the processes, methods, systems, products ordevices that contain a series of steps or units will not be limited tothose clearly listed steps or units, but may include other steps orunits not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods,products, or devices.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device 10in one embodiment of the present disclosure. The ultrasound imagingdevice 10 may include a probe 100, a transmitting circuit 101, atransmitting/receiving switch 102, a receiving circuit 103, a beamformer 104, a processor 105 and a display 106. The transmitting circuit101 may excite the probe 100 to transmit ultrasound waves to a targetobject. The receiving circuit 103 may receive the ultrasound echoesreturned from the target object through the probe 100, thereby obtainingultrasound echo signals. After the beam forming process is performedthereon by the beam former 104, the ultrasound echo signals may be sentto the processor 105. The processor 105 may process the ultrasound echosignals to obtain the ultrasound image of the target object. Theultrasound image obtained by the processor 105 may be stored in a memory107. These ultrasound images may be displayed on the display 106.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the display 106 of theultrasound imaging device 10 may be a touch or a liquid crystal displayscreen, etc. Alternatively, the display 106 may be an independentdisplay device such as a liquid crystal display or a televisionindependent of the ultrasound imaging device 10, or the display screenon an electronic devices such as a mobile phone or a tablet computers,etc.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the memory 107 of theultrasound imaging devices 10 may be a flash memory, a solid-statememory, a hard disk, or the like.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storagemedium may also be provided. The computer-readable storage medium maystore multiple program instructions which, after being called andexecuted by the processor 105, may implement a part or all or anycombination of the steps in the contrast enhanced imaging methods in theembodiments above.

In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be thememory 107, which may be a non-volatile storage medium such as a flashmemory, a solid state memory, a hard disk or the like.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor 105 of theultrasound imaging devices 10 may be implemented by software, hardware,firmware or a combination thereof, or may use a circuit, one or moreapplication specific integrated circuits (ASIC), one or moregeneral-purpose integrated circuits, one or more microprocessors, one ormore programmable logic devices, or combinations of the circuits ordevices above, or other suitable circuits or devices, such that theprocessor 105 can execute the steps of the contrast enhanced imagingmethods in the embodiments above.

The contrast enhanced imaging methods of the present disclosure willdescribed in detail below. Referring to FIG. 2 , a contrast enhancedimaging method may be provided in one embodiment of the presentdisclosure, which may be applied to the ultrasound imaging device 10,and particularly suitable for the ultrasound imaging device 10 includinga touch screen in which the touch operations may be used to inputinstructions. The ultrasound imaging device 10 may be used to generate acontrast enhanced image. The contrast enhanced imaging method mayinclude the following steps.

In step 201, a first instruction may be received.

In one embodiment, the processor 105 may receive the first instruction.The first instruction may be an operation instruction input by the userthrough the touch screen or an external input device, or a controlinstruction input by the user through the voice.

In step 202, a target imaging mode may be determined from the presetimaging modes in response to the first instruction. The preset imagingmodes may include a first contrast enhanced imaging mode and a secondcontrast enhanced imaging mode. The frame rate of the first contrastenhanced imaging mode may be different from the frame rate of the secondcontrast enhanced imaging mode.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may determine the target imagingmode from the preset imaging modes in responds to the first instruction.Generally, the preset imaging modes may mainly include two imagingmodes, namely the first contrast enhanced imaging mode and the secondcontrast enhanced imaging mode. The target imaging mode may be the firstcontrast enhanced imaging mode or the second contrast enhanced imagingmode.

It can be understood that the frame rate of the first contrast enhancedimaging mode may be different from the frame rate of the second contrastenhanced imaging mode. For example, the frame rate of the first contrastenhanced imaging mode may be 10 frames per second (fps) to 15 fps, whilethe frame rate of the second contrast enhanced imaging mode may be 50fps to 200 fps. In practical applications, the frame rate of the firstcontrast enhanced imaging mode and the frame rate of the second contrastenhanced imaging mode may be set, which will not be limited to thoseabove.

In step 203, the ultrasound waves may be transmitted to the targetobject and the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object may bereceived according to the determined target imaging mode, so as toobtain the ultrasound echo signals.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may transmit the ultrasound wavesto the target object according to the determined target imaging mode andreceive the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object.Alternatively, the processor 105 may transmit the ultrasound waves tothe target object according to the determined target imaging mode, andreceive the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object accordingto the target imaging mode. Alternatively, the processor 105 maytransmit the ultrasound waves to the target object, and receive theultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to thetarget imaging mode. The ultrasound echo signals may be obtainedthereby.

It should be noted that the target object may refer to the physiologicalstructure to be examined, such as the liver, the heart, the stomach, orthe spleen, etc., which will not be limited herein.

In step 204, the contrast enhanced image may be generated according tothe ultrasound echo signals.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may generate the contrast enhancedimages according to the obtained ultrasound echo signals.

In the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, with the processor 105, the ultrasound imaging device 10 maytransmit ultrasound waves to the target object according to the imagingmode selected by the user and receive ultrasound echoes returned fromthe target object to obtain the echo signals to generate the contrastenhanced images. This way, the imaging mode can be selected according tothe diagnosis needs, and the contrast enhanced images may be generatedaccording to the imaging mode. Therefore, the contrast enhanced imagingmethods are more flexible, and more accurate or satisfactory contrastenhanced images may be obtained, thereby reducing the difficulty of thediagnosis of the disease. For example, for the contrast enhanced imagingto conventional diseases, the first contrast enhanced imaging mode(e.g., the frame rate is set to 10 fps to 15 fps) may be selected toperform the contrast enhanced imaging. For the contrast enhanced imagingto specific diseases (such as “small lesion with rich blood” with a sizeof less than 1 cm×1 cm×1 cm), high frame rate mode may be selected toperform the contrast enhanced imaging in order to capture the completeperfusion process, such as the second contrast enhanced imaging mode(e.g., the frame rate is set to 50 fps to 200 fps and there are multipleadjustable frame rates).

Optionally, based on the embodiment of FIG. 2 above, in one optionalembodiment of the contrast enhanced imaging method, the first contrastenhanced imaging mode may be pre-configured with a fixed frame rate,where the pre-configured fixed frame rate of the first contrast enhancedimaging mode may be smaller than the frame rate of the second contrastenhanced imaging mode.

In this embodiment, the difference between the first contrast enhancedimaging mode and the second contrast enhanced imaging mode is described.The first contrast enhanced imaging mode may be pre-configured with afixed frame rate, and the pre-configured fixed frame rate of the firstcontrast enhanced imaging mode may be smaller than the frame rate of thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a main operation interface of theultrasound imaging device in one embodiment of the present disclosure.As shown in FIG. 3 , the interface may include the first contrastenhanced imaging mode and the second contrast enhanced imaging mode. Inaddition, the interface may also include other modules. Detaileddescription will be provided below.

“B image” module: when this button is clicked, it may mean that theultrasound imaging device 10 is in the two-dimensional gray-scaleimaging mode, and the operation interface may stay at the “mainoperation interface”.

“Cine” module: when this button is clicked, the playback settinginterface may be entered, on which the start frame, the end frame, theplayback rate or other parameters for playing the cine loop may be set.

“Contrast enhanced imaging” module: as shown in FIG. 4 (a) which is aschematic diagram of the interface for selecting the first contrastenhanced imaging mode in the embodiment of the present disclosure, thefirst contrast enhanced imaging mode may be entered when this button isclicked, i.e. the conventional imaging mode.

“High frame rate contrast enhanced imaging” module: as shown in FIG. 4(b) which is a schematic diagram of an interface for selecting thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode in the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, when this button is clicked, the second contrast enhancedimaging mode may be entered, i.e., the high-frame rate contrast enhancedimaging mode.

“Flip up and down” module: when this button is clicked, the mirrorsymmetry processing of the image in the vertical direction may beperformed.

“Flip left and right” module: when this button is clicked, the mirrorsymmetry processing of the image in the horizontal direction may beperformed.

“Dual real-time” module: when this button is clicked, the dual-imagestate in two-dimensional grayscale imaging mode may be entered, which ismainly used to compare the effect before and after the parameteradjustment. For example, the left image may be the image before theparameter adjustment while the right image may be the image after theparameter adjustment. Alternatively, the right image may be the imagebefore the parameter adjustment while the left image may be the imageafter the parameter adjustment.

“Scan/imaging range (FOV)” module: when this button is clicked, thetrackball may be operated to control the lateral imaging range, whichcan be expanded or contracted.

“Smoothing” module: it may be the image smoothing module, which cancontrol the smoothness of the image by adjusting the parameter. Theminimum value of the parameter may be 0 (indicating that no smoothing isperformed), and the maximum value is any positive integer (which can beset and typically be 6). The smoothness of the image is proportional tothis parameter.

“iClear” module: it may be an image enhancement module, which hasseveral image enhancement styles for selection. When “0” is selected, itmay mean that no image enhancement processing is performed. When anypositive integer n is selected, it may mean that the n^(th) enhancementstyle is adopted. It may be understood that the value of the parameterof this module here may not correspond to the degree of the imageenhancement.

“iBeam” module: it may be the spatial compounding module, in which themulti-angle transmitting and the receiving compounding may be used toimprove the signal-to-noise ratio and the spatial resolution of theimage, and reduce the black holes. The value of the parameter of thismodule may correspond to the degree of the spatial compounding. Thelarger the value, the more the number of transmitting angles and thenumber of compounding, and vice versa.

“Image quality” module: usually there may be 6 levels for the imagequality in the two-dimensional grayscale imaging mode: Pen, Gen, Res,HPen, HGen and HRes. The first three may correspond to the fundamentalmode and be respectively focused on penetration, general and resolution.The latter three may correspond to the harmonic mode and similarly berespectively focused on penetration, general and resolution. It can beunderstood that the above are only typical settings, and the number ofthe levels and the emphasis of each level can be set as required.

“Frame correlation” module: it can reduce the background noise. Theminimum value of the parameter may be 0 and the maximum value of theparameter may be any positive integer (which can be set, and currentlytypically be 6). The value of the parameter of this module may beproportional to the degree of the frame correlation.

“Dynamic range” module: it may be the dynamic range adjustment module ofthe image. The larger the value, the larger the dynamic range of theimage, and vice versa.

“Grayscale Atlas” module: it may be used to adjust the grayscale of theimage. The value of the parameter of this module may not correspond tothe degree of the adjustment, but correspond to different grayscaletypes.

“Pseudo-color atlas” module: it may be used to adjust the pseudo-colorof the image. The value of the parameter of this module may notcorrespond to the degree of the adjustment, but correspond to differentpseudo-color types.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the difference between thefirst contrast enhanced imaging mode and the second contrast enhancedimaging mode has been described, that is, the pre-configured fixed framerate of the first contrast enhanced imaging mode may be smaller than theframe rate of the second contrast enhanced imaging mode. In this way,the ultrasound imaging device 10 can provide two contrast enhancedimaging modes with different frame rates, such that the user can selecta contrast enhanced imaging mode according to diagnostic needs.Therefore, the contrast enhanced imaging mode can be more flexible andmore accurate or satisfactory contrast enhanced images may be obtained,thereby reducing the difficulty in diagnosing the disease.

Optionally, based on the embodiment in FIG. 2 above, in one embodimentof the contrast enhanced imaging method, the first contrast enhancedimaging mode may be pre-configured as a first imaging parameter, and thesecond contrast enhanced image mode may be pre-configured as a secondimaging parameter.

The first imaging parameter may include at least one of: a first numberof transmitting, a first line density, a first imaging range and a firstpulse repetition frequency.

The second imaging parameter may include at least one of: a secondnumber of transmitting, a second line density, a second imaging rangeand a second pulse repetition frequency.

The first number of transmitting may be greater than the second numberof transmitting, the first line density may be greater than the secondline density, the first imaging range may be greater than the secondimaging range, and the first pulse repetition frequency may be lowerthan the second pulse repetition frequency.

In this embodiment, the first imaging parameter pre-configured for thefirst contrast enhanced imaging mode and the second imaging parameterpre-configured for the second contrast enhanced imaging mode have beenspecifically introduced.

Specifically, the first imaging parameter may include at least one of: afirst number of transmitting, a first line density, a first imagingrange and a first pulse repetition frequency (PRF). The second imagingparameter may include at least one of: a second number of transmitting,a second line density, a second imaging range and a second pulserepetition frequency. It should be noted that when adjusting the firstimaging parameter and the second imaging parameter, at least one of thefollowing conditions may be satisfied:

(1) the first number of transmitting is greater than the second numberof transmitting;

(2) the first line density is greater than the second line density;

(3) the first imaging range is greater than the second imaging range;and

(4) the first PRF is lower than the second PRF.

The four conditions above may also be optional conditions for achievinga high frame rate. For example, plane wave transmission technology orcoherence transmission synthesis (CTS) technology may be used to reducethe number of transmittings. It can reduce the line density whileensuring the image quality. The FOV can be reduced after the lesion ispositioned. After positioning the lesion, a specific region of interest(ROI) may be selected and the PRF may be increased.

In one embodiment, different contrast enhanced imaging modes may beobtained by adjusting the imaging parameters, and either the firstnumber of transmitting being greater than the second number oftransmitting or the first line density being greater than the secondline density or the first imaging range being greater than the secondimaging range or the first PRF being lower than the second PRF canimprove the frame rate. Therefore, it has strong feasibility andreliability.

Optionally, based on the embodiment in to FIG. 2 above, in oneembodiment of the contrast enhanced imaging method, when it isdetermined that the target imaging mode is the first contrast enhancedimaging mode, the following steps will be performed.

The processor 105 may transmit the ultrasound waves to the target objectand receive ultrasound echoes returned from the target object to obtainthe ultrasound echo signals according to the determined target imagingmode, which may include:

the processor 105 transmitting the ultrasound waves to the target objectand receiving the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object toobtain the first ultrasound echo signals according to the first imagingparameters;

The processor 105 may generate the contrast enhanced image according tothe ultrasound echo signals, which may include:

the processor 105 generating a first contrast enhanced image accordingto the first ultrasound echo signals.

In this embodiment, when the target imaging mode is the first contrastenhanced imaging mode, the contrast enhanced imaging may be performedwith a fixed frame rate. The processor 105 may transmit the ultrasoundwaves to the target object according to the determined first contrastenhanced imaging mode, and then receive the ultrasound echoes returnedfrom the target object. Alternatively, the processor 105 may transmitthe ultrasound waves to the target object according to the determinedfirst contrast enhanced imaging mode, and then receive the ultrasoundechoes returned from the target object according to the first contrastenhanced imaging mode. Alternatively, the processor 105 may transmitultrasound waves to the target object, and receive the ultrasound echoesreturned from the target object according to the first contrast enhancedimaging mode. This way, the first ultrasound echo signals may beobtained. The first contrast enhanced image may be generated accordingto the first ultrasound echo signals.

Further, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the firstcontrast enhanced imaging mode, the ultrasound ways may be transmittedto the target object and the ultrasound echoes returned from the targetobject may be received according to the first imaging parameter toobtain the first ultrasound echo signals, and the first contrastenhanced image may be generated according to the first ultrasoundsignals. In this way, in the case that the high frame rate imaging isnot necessary the fixed frame rate may be used to obtain the contrastenhanced images, thereby improving the flexibility and operability ofthe contrast enhanced imaging.

Optionally, based on the embodiment in FIG. 2 above, in one embodimentof the contrast enhanced imaging method, when it is determined that thetarget imaging mode is the second contrast enhanced imaging mode, thefollowing steps will be performed.

The processor 105 may transmit the ultrasound waves to the target objectand receive the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object toobtain the ultrasound echo signals according to the determined targetimaging mode, which may include:

the processor 105 transmitting the ultrasound waves to the target objectand receiving the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object toobtain a second ultrasound echo signal according to the second imagingparameter.

The processor 105 may generate the contrast enhanced image according tothe ultrasound echo signal, which may include:

the processor 105 generating a second contrast enhanced image accordingto the second ultrasound echo signal.

In this embodiment, in the case that the target imaging mode is thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode, a high frame rate may be used forcontrast enhanced imaging. The processor 105 may transmit ultrasoundwaves to the target object according to the determined second contrastenhanced imaging mode (for example, during the transmitting, the numberof ultrasound wave transmittings may be reduced or the PRF may beincreased so as to increase the frame rate), and receive the ultrasoundechoes returned from the target object. Alternatively, the processor 105may transmit the ultrasound waves to the target object according to thedetermined second contrast enhanced imaging mode, and receive theultrasound echoes returned from the target object also according to thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode. Alternatively, the processor 105may transmit the ultrasound waves to the target object, and receive theultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode (for example, during thereceiving, the line density or the imaging range may be reduced so as toimprove the frame rate). This way, the second ultrasound echo signal maybe obtained. The second contrast enhanced image may be generatedaccording to the second ultrasound echo signal.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the second contrastenhanced imaging mode, the ultrasound waves may be transmitted to thetarget object and the ultrasound echoes returned from the target objectmay be received according to the second imaging parameter to obtain thesecond ultrasound echo signal, and the second contrast enhanced imagemay be generated according to the second ultrasound echo signal. In thisway, a fully automatic and variable high frame rate imaging may beachieved during the contrast enhanced imaging. Therefore, the manualoperation is not necessary and the user can pay more attention onscanning and observing the perfusion in the lesion.

Optionally, based on the embodiments in FIG. 2 above, in one embodimentof the contrast enhanced imaging method provided by present disclosure,the second contrast enhanced imaging mode may be pre-configured with atleast two frame rates and each frame rate may have corresponding imagingparameters. In the case that it is determined that the target imagingmode is the second contrast enhanced imaging mode, the processor 105 mayalso perform the following steps.

A second instruction may be received.

In response to the second instruction, a target frame rate may bedetermined from the at least two frame rates.

Transmitting the ultrasound waves to the target object according to thedetermined target imaging mode and receiving the ultrasound echoesreturned from the target object to obtain the ultrasound echo signalsmay include:

transmitting the ultrasound waves to the target object and receive theultrasound echoes returned from the target object to obtain theultrasound echo signal according to the imaging parameterspre-configured according to the target frame rate.

In this embodiment, when it is determined that the target imaging modeis the second contrast enhanced imaging mode, the processor 105 mayreceive the second instruction input by the user, and, in response tothe second instruction, determine the target frame rate from the atleast two frame rates. The second instruction here may be a manual framerate setting instruction or an automatic frame rate setting instruction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an interface for manually determiningthe target frame rate in one embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 5 , there are several modules in the interfact in FIG. 5which have the same name with the modules in the interface in FIG. 3 .In order to avoid redundancy, only the modules with different functionsand name from FIG. 3 will be described here.

“Contrast enhanced image” module: when this button is clicked, theparameters in the interface related to the contrast enhanced image maybe in an adjustable state.

“Tissue image” module: when this button is clicked, the parameters inthe interface related to the tissue image may be in an adjustable state.

“Timer” module: it is the timer in the high frame rate contrast enhancedimaging mode (i.e., the second contrast enhanced imaging mode).

“Start/Stop” module: it may be a button for starting and stopping savingthe high-frame rate contrast enhanced cine loop.

“Frame rate” module: it may be module for controlling the frame rate inthe high-frame rate contrast enhanced imaging mode. The value of theparameter may correspond to the frame rate. The larger the value, thehigher the frame rate.

“Contrast enhanced image position” module: it may be a module whichcontrols whether the contrast enhanced image is on the left or on theright in dual-frame mode.

“Contrast smashing” module: when this button is clicked, it may meanthat the ultrasound imaging device 10 is in a state of smashing contrastagent, which is mainly used to remove the residual microbubbles at thescanning site.

“Dual real-time” module: unlike the “dual real-time” module in FIG. 3 ,the “dual real-time” module here may refer only to the dual-frame statein the contrast enhanced imaging mode, that is, the contrast enhancedimage and the tissue image are displayed simultaneously in the imagingarea. Usually they may be arranged in left and right. For example, thetissue image may be on the left and the contrast enhanced image may beon the right. The positions of them may be exchanged by operating the“contrast enhanced image position” button.

“Image quality” module: it may be an image quality module in contrastenhanced imaging mode. There may usually be three levels: CHPen, CHGenand CHRes, which may respectively focused on penetration, general andresolution. The above are only typical settings. The number of thelevels and the emphasis of each level may be set.

In addition, in one embodiment, the target frame rate may beautomatically determined. Referring to FIG. 6 which is a schematicdiagram of an interface for automatically determining the target framerate in one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the user clicks“automatic high frame rate imaging mode”, the processor 105 may executestep 202 to select the target frame rate from the preset frame rates.

After the user selects the target frame rate, the processor 105 willtransmit the ultrasound waves to the target object and receive theultrasound echoes returned from the target object to obtain theultrasound echo signals according to the pre-configured imagingparameters corresponding to the target frame rate.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the user can flexibly setthe target frame rate according to actual needs, and the ultrasoundimaging device can generate the contrast enhanced images according tothe target frame rate set by the user. Therefore, the flexibility andfeasibility of the solutions are increased, and the user can pay moreattention on scanning and observing the perfusion in the lesion.

Optionally, based on the embodiments in FIG. 2 above, in one embodimentof the contrast enhanced imaging method provided by the presentdisclosure, the second contrast enhanced imaging mode may bepre-configured with at least two frame rates and the execution sequenceof the at least two frame rates. Each frame rate may be pre-configuredwith corresponding imaging parameters and imaging duration. When thetarget imaging mode is determined to be the second contrast enhancedimaging mode, the processor 105 may also execute the follows steps.

A third instruction may be received.

Transmitting the ultrasound waves to the target object and receiving theultrasound echoes returned from the target object to obtain theultrasound echo signals according to the determined target imaging modemay include:

in response to the third instruction, sequentially transmitting theultrasound waves to the target object and receiving the ultrasoundechoes returned from the target object to obtain the ultrasound echosignals according to the execution sequence, the imaging parameterspre-configured for the frame rates and the imaging duration.

The processor 105 may generate the contrast enhanced image according tothe ultrasound echo signal, which may include:

the processor 105 sequentially generating the contrast enhanced imagesaccording to the obtained corresponding ultrasound echo signals.

In this embodiment, the user may also configure the second contrastenhanced imaging mode according to the actual needs. Specifically, theuser can configure the at least two frame rates and the executionsequence of at least two frame rates.

Referring to FIG. 7 which is a schematic diagram of an interface for theprogrammable high frame rate contrast enhanced imaging in one embodimentof the present disclosure, after clicking the “high frame rateprogramming” module, the user may be enabled to set the high frame rateparameters, that is, configure the second contrast enhanced imagingmode. The configurable content may be shown in FIG. 8 , which is aschematic diagram of an interface for setting the high frame rateparameters in one embodiment of the present disclosure, where “1”, “2”and “3” may be the execution sequences, that is, the contrast enhancedimages may be generated according to the order of “1”, “2” and “3”. Theimaging duration may represent the length of time from transmitting theultrasound waves, receiving the ultrasound echo signals to generatingthe contrast enhanced image according to the ultrasound echo signals.The start time and the end time may be the start time and the end timeof generating the contrast enhanced image, and the frame rate mayindicate the value of the frame rate of the generated contrast enhancedimages.

It should be noted that, in order to describe the technical solutionsmore intuitively, FIG. 8 only provides a special case where there are 3high frame rate fragments. In the actual implementation, the number ofthe high frame rate fragments may be any integer greater than 1, whichwill not be limited herein.

After the configuration is completed, a third instruction input by theuser may be received. The processor 105 may, in response to the thirdinstruction, sequentially transmit the ultrasound waves to the targetobject and receive the ultrasound echoes returned from the target objectto obtain the ultrasound echo signals according to the executionsequence, the imaging parameters pre-configured for the frame rate andthe imaging duration. The contrast enhanced images may be sequentiallygenerated according to the obtained ultrasound echo signals.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the user can personalizethe high-frame rate contrast enhanced imaging in advance, and achievethe fully automatic and variable high-frame rate contrast enhancedimaging without manual operation, thereby improving the practicality andfeasibility of the solutions.

Optionally, based on the embodiments corresponding to FIG. 2 above, inone embodiment of the contrast enhanced imaging method provided by thepresent disclosure, the imaging parameter may includes at least one of:the number of transmitting, the line density, the imaging range and thepulse repetition frequency.

In this embodiment, when configuring the imaging parameters, at leastone of the number of transmittings, the line density, the imaging rangeand the PRF may be considered. Reducing the number of transmittings orshortening the receiving time can increase the frame rate. Reducing theline density to increase the number of the image frames can increase theframe rate. In addition, after positioning the lesion, reducing the FOVor increasing the PRF can also increase the frame rate.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, different contrastenhanced imaging modes may be set by the adjustment of the imagingparameter. Therefore, it will have strong feasibility and reliability.

Optionally, based on the embodiments above corresponding to FIG. 2 , inone embodiment of the contrast enhanced imaging method provided by thepresent disclosure, the processor 105 may also perform the followingsteps.

A fourth instruction may be received.

In response to the fourth instruction, the transmitting of theultrasound waves to the target object and the receiving of theultrasound echoes returned from the target object may be stopped.

In this embodiment, the fourth instruction input by the user may bereceived, and, in response to the fourth instruction, the transmittingof the ultrasound waves to the target object and the receiving of theultrasound echoes returned from the target object may be stopped.

Therefore, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the user cancustomize the frame rate and can start or stop the contrast enhancedimaging mode at any time, thereby improving the practicality andflexibility of the solutions.

The contrast enhanced imaging methods in the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail below. Referring to FIG. 9 , in one embodiment, acontrast enhanced imaging method is provided. This method may be appliedin the ultrasound imaging device, and particularly suitable for theultrasound imaging device including the touch screen in which the touchoperation may be used to input the instructions. The ultrasound imagingdevice may be used to generate the contrast enhanced images. In oneembodiment, the contrast enhanced imaging method may include thefollowing steps.

In step 301, the ultrasound waves may be transmitted to the targetobject and the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object may bereceived to obtain the first ultrasound echo signal according to thefirst contrast enhanced imaging mode.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may transmit the ultrasound wavesto the target object and receive the ultrasound echoes returned from thetarget object to obtain the first ultrasound echo signal according tothe first contrast enhanced imaging mode.

The processor 105 may transmit the ultrasound waves to the target objectaccording to the determined first contrast enhanced imaging mode, andreceive the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object to obtainthe first ultrasound echo signal. Alternatively, the processor 105 maytransmit the ultrasound waves to the target object according to thedetermined first contrast enhanced imaging mode and receive theultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to the firstcontrast enhanced imaging mode to obtain the first ultrasound echosignal. Alternatively, the processor 105 may transmit the ultrasoundwaves to the target object, and receive the ultrasound echoes returnedfrom the target object according to the first contrast enhanced imagingmode to obtain the first ultrasound echo signal.

It should be noted that the target object herein may be thephysiological structure to be examined, such as the liver, the heart,the stomach, or the spleen, etc., which will not be limited herein.

In step 302, the first contrast enhanced image may be generatedaccording to the first ultrasound echo signal.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may generate the first contrastenhanced image according to the obtained first ultrasound echo signal.

In step 303, a mode switching instruction may be received to switch tothe second contrast enhanced imaging mode, where the frame rate of thefirst contrast enhanced imaging mode may be different from the framerate of the second contrast enhanced imaging mode.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may receive the mode switchinginstruction input by the user, and switch the first contrast enhancedimaging mode to the second contrast enhanced imaging mode according tothe mode switching instruction. Thereafter, the ultrasound waves may betransmitted to the target object and the ultrasound echoes returned fromthe target object may be obtained according to the second contrastenhanced imaging mode to obtain the second ultrasound echo signal.

It can be understood that the frame rate of the first contrast enhancedimaging mode and the frame rate of the second contrast enhanced imagingmode may be different. For example, the frame rate of the first contrastenhanced imaging mode may be 10 fps to 15 fps, and the frame rate of thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode may be 50 fps to 200 fps. Inpractical applications, the frame rate of the first contrast enhancedimaging mode and the frame rate of the second contrast enhanced imagingmode may also be set, which will not be limited herein.

In step 304, the ultrasound waves may be transmitted to the targetobject and the ultrasound echoes returned from the target object may beobtained according to the second contrast enhanced imaging mode toobtain the second ultrasound echo signal.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may control to transmit theultrasound waves to the target object according to the determined secondcontrast enhanced imaging mode and receive the ultrasound echoesreturned from the target object to obtain the second ultrasound echosignal. Alternatively, the processor 105 may control to transmit theultrasound waves to the target object according to the determined secondcontrast enhanced imaging mode and receive the ultrasound echoesreturned from the target object according to the second contrastenhanced imaging mode to obtain the second ultrasound echo signal.Alternatively, the processor 105 may control to transmit the ultrasoundwaves to the target object and receive the ultrasound echoes returnedfrom the target object according to the determined second contrastenhanced imaging mode to obtain the second ultrasound echo signal.

In step 305, the second contrast enhanced image may be generatedaccording to the second ultrasound echo signal.

In this embodiment, the processor 105 may generate the second contrastenhanced image according to the obtained second ultrasound echo signal.

In the technical solutions provided by the present disclosure, theprocessor 105 may control, according to the imaging mode selected by theuser, to transmit the ultrasound waves to the target object and receivethe ultrasound echoes returned from the target object to obtain the echosignals to generate the contrast enhanced image. In this way, theimaging mode can be selected according to the diagnosis needs, and thecontrast enhanced images may be generated according to the selectedimaging mode. Therefore, the contrast enhanced imaging methods are moreflexible, and more accurate or satisfactory contrast enhanced images maybe obtained, thereby reducing the difficulty in the diagnosis of thedisease.

It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosuremay mainly include three application modes, i.e. the “manual high framerate contrast enhanced imaging mode”, the “automatic high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging mode”, and the “programmable high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging mode”, which will be described below inconnection with the drawings.

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart of the “manual high frame rate contrastenhanced imaging” mode in one embodiment of the present disclosure,which will be described below.

In step 401, the ultrasound imaging device 10 may enter into the mainoperation interface.

In step 402, a button may be provided on the main operation interface ofthe ultrasound imaging device 10 to start or stop the high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging mode at any time. For example, a prompt of“need to perform manual high frame rate contrast enhanced imaging?” maybe displayed on the main operation interface. In the case that the userselects “Yes”, step 403 will be performed; otherwise, in the case thatthe user selects “No”, step 404 will be performed.

In step 403, after entering the “high frame rate contrast enhancedimaging” mode, the frame rate may be set according to requirements. Thelower limit of the frame rate should not be lower than the conventionalcontrast frame rate. The upper limit of the frame rate will bedetermined by the system. The user may not change the upper and lowerlimits.

In step 404, in the case that the manual high-frame rate contrastenhanced imaging is not necessary, the user may click the “contrastenhanced imaging” button on the main operation interface to enter intothe conventional contrast enhanced imaging mode.

In step 405, after entering into the manual high frame rate contrastenhanced imaging interface, the frame rate may be adjusted by operatingthe “frame rate” button.

In step 406, the user may click the “timer” button to start timing, thenclick the “start/stop” button to start saving the cine loop, and clickthe “start/stop” button again to stop saving the cine loop.

In step 407, the user may click “exit” to return to the main operationinterface of the ultrasound imaging device.

FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of the “automatic high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging” mode in one embodiment of the presentdisclosure, which will be described below.

In step 501, the ultrasound imaging device 10 may enter into the mainoperation interface.

In step 502, a button may be provided on the main operation interface ofthe ultrasound imaging device 10 to enter into the “automatic high framerate contrast enhanced imaging” interface. For example, a prompt of“need to perform automatic high frame rate contrast enhanced imaging?”may be displayed on the main operation interface. In the case that theuser selects “Yes”, step 503 will be performed; otherwise, in the casethat the user selects “No”, step 504 will be performed.

In step 503, after entering into the “automatic high frame rate contrastenhanced imaging” interface, there are several high frame rate modes forthe user to select. After the mode is selected, the “automatic highframe rate contrast enhanced imaging” mode may be started with oneclick. It may be fully automatic until the contrast enhanced imaging isended. The parameters in the high frame rate modes, such as the durationof the contrast enhanced imaging, the start/end time, the number of highframe rate clips and the frame rate in each clip, may be written intothe device in advance, and the user may not change them.

In step 504, in the case that the automatic high-frame rate contrastenhanced imaging is not necessary, the user may click the “contrastenhanced imaging” button on the main operation interface to enter intothe conventional contrast enhanced imaging mode.

In step 505, the user may click “automatic high frame rate mode”, andclick “run automatic high frame rate” after selecting a mode. In thiscase, the timer and cline loop storage will automatically start or end.

In step 506, the user may click “exit” to return to the main operationinterface of the ultrasound imaging device.

FIG. 12 is a schematic flowchart of the “programmable high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging” mode in one embodiment of the presentdisclosure, which will be described below.

In step 601, the ultrasound imaging device 10 may enter into the mainoperation interface.

In step 602, a button may be provided on the main operation interface ofthe ultrasound imaging device 10 to enter into the “programmable highframe rate contrast enhanced imaging” interface. For example, a promptof “need to perform programmable high frame rate contrast enhancedimaging?” may be displayed on the main operation interface. In the casethat the user selects “Yes”, step 603 will be performed; otherwise, inthe case that the user selects “No”, step 604 will be performed.

In step 603, when clicking the “high frame rate contrast enhancedimaging” on the main operation interface, the programmable high framerate contrast enhanced imaging interface may be entered.

In step 604, in the case that the programmable high-frame rate contrastenhanced imaging is not necessary, the user may click the “contrastenhanced imaging” button on the main operation interface to enter intothe conventional contrast enhanced imaging mode.

In step 605, after entering into the “programmable high frame ratecontrast enhanced imaging” interface, the high frame rate parametersetting interface may be entered by clicking the “high frame rateprogramming” button, by which the user may set the parameters such asthe duration of the contrast enhanced imaging, the start/end time, thenumber of the high frame rate clips and the frame rate of the clips,etc. After the setting is completed, it may be returned to the“programmable high frame rate contrast enhanced imaging” interface. The“programmable high frame rate contrast” mode may be started by oneclick, and may be fully automatic until the end of the contrast enhancedimaging.

In step 606, the “duration”, “start/end time” and “frame rate” may beset. After the setting is completed, it may return to the programmablehigh frame rate contrast enhanced imaging interface by clicking “finishand return”. By clicking the “run programmable high frame rate” button,the contrast enhanced imaging may be started, and the timer and the cineloop storage may automatically start or end.

In step 607, the user may click “exit” to return to the main operationinterface of the ultrasound imaging device.

The embodiments above may be implemented wholly or partly by software,hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented bysoftware, they may be implemented wholly or partly in the form of acomputer program product.

The computer program product may include one or more computerinstructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed onthe computer, all or part of the processes or functions in theembodiments of the present disclosure may be generated. The computer maybe a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer networkor other programmable devices. The computer instructions may be storedin a computer-readable storage medium or be transferred from onecomputer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storagemedium. For example, the computer instructions may be transferred from awebsite site, a computer, a server or a data center to another website,computer, server or data center via a wired (such as coaxial cable,optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such asinfrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) connection. The computer-readablestorage medium may be any available medium on which the computer canstore data or may include one or more data storage devices integratedwith one or more available medium, such as a server, a data center orthe like. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (such as afloppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as aDVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for theconvenience and conciseness of the description, regarding the specificoperation processes of the system, device and unit described above,reference may be made to the corresponding processes of the methods inthe embodiments above, which will not be described again here.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understoodthat the disclosed systems, devices and methods may be implemented inother ways. For example, the devices in the embodiments described aboveare only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only adivision of logical functions. In actual implementation, there may beother divisions. For example, multiple units or components may becombined, or may be integrated into another system. Some features may beomitted, or not implemented. In addition, the displayed or discussedcoupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be achievedthrough through certain interfaces, and the indirect coupling orcommunication connection between the devices or units may be inelectrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physicallyseparated, and the components displayed as units may or may not bephysical units. They may be located in one place, or may be distributedon multiple network units. A part or all of the units may be selectedaccording to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solutions in theembodiments.

In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be integrated into one processing unit. Alternatively,the unit may be physically separated. Alternatively, two or more unitsmay be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit may be implementedin the form of hardware or software functional unit.

When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a softwarefunctional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it may bestored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on thisunderstanding, the essential part or the part contributed to the priorarts of the technical solutions of the present disclosure, or all orpart of the technical solutions, may be embodied as a software product.The software product may be stored in a storage medium, and may includemultiple instructions which may enable a computer device (which may be apersonal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform allor part of the steps of the methods in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The storage medium may include a U disk, a mobile hard disk,a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk,an optical disk or other medium that can store program codes.

The embodiments above are only used to illustrate the technicalsolutions of the present disclosure, but not intended to limit them.Although the present disclosure has been described in detail withreference to the embodiments above, a person ordinarily skilled in theart should understand that modifications may be made to the technicalsolutions described in the embodiments or equivalent replacement may bemade to some of the technical features. These modifications orreplacements will not make essence of the technical solutions to departfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A contrast enhanced imaging method,comprising: receiving a first instruction; determining a first imagingmode from preset imaging modes in response to the first instruction,wherein the first imaging mode comprises a first frame rate, and thefirst frame rate is pre-configured with first imaging parameterscomprising a first line density and a first number of times fortransmitting ultrasound waves; transmitting first ultrasound waves inthe first number of times to a target object and receiving firstultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to the firstimaging mode to obtain first ultrasound echo signals; generating a firstcontrast enhanced image having the first frame rate in the first linedensity according to the first ultrasound echo signals; receiving asecond instruction; determining a second imaging mode from the presetimaging modes in response to the second instruction, wherein the secondimaging mode comprises a second frame rate greater than the first framerate, and the second frame rate is pre-configured with second imagingparameters comprising a second line density less than the first linedensity and a second number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves,wherein the second number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves isless than the first number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves;transmitting second ultrasound waves in the second number of times tothe target object and receiving second ultrasound echoes returned fromthe target object according to the second imaging mode to obtain secondultrasound echo signals; and generating a second contrast enhanced imagehaving the second frame rate in the second line density according to thesecond ultrasound echo signals.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst frame rate of the first contrast enhanced imaging mode is apre-configured fixed frame rate, wherein the pre-configured fixed framerate of the first contrast enhanced imaging mode is smaller than thesecond frame rate of the second contrast enhanced imaging mode.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first imaging parameter further comprisesat least one of a first imaging range and a first pulse repetitionfrequency; and the second imaging parameter further comprises at leastone of a second imaging range and a second pulse repetition frequency;and wherein the first imaging range is greater than the second imagingrange, or the first pulse repetition frequency is lower than the secondpulse repetition frequency.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein, thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode is pre-configured with at leasttwo frame rates and an execution sequence of the at least two framerates, wherein each of the at least two frame rates is pre-configuredwith a corresponding imaging parameter and an imaging duration, and themethod further comprises: receiving a third instruction; and wherein,transmitting the second ultrasound waves in the second number of timesto the target object and receiving the second ultrasound echoes returnedfrom the target object according to the second imaging mode to obtainthe second ultrasound echo signals comprises: sequentially transmittingthe second ultrasound waves to the target object and receiving thesecond ultrasound echoes returned from the target object according tothe execution sequence, the pre-configured imaging parameter of acorresponding frame rate and a corresponding imaging duration inresponse to the third instruction to obtain the second ultrasound echosignals; and generating the second contrast enhanced image according tothe second ultrasound echo signals comprises: sequentially generatingcontrast enhanced images according to the obtained second ultrasoundecho signals.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving afourth instruction; and stopping transmitting ultrasound waves to thetarget object and receiving ultrasound echoes returned from the targetobject in response to the fourth instruction.
 6. A contrast enhancedimaging method, comprising: transmitting, via a probe, first ultrasoundwaves to a target object and receiving first ultrasound echoes returnedfrom the target object according to a first imaging mode to obtain afirst ultrasound echo signal, wherein the first imaging mode comprises afirst frame rate, and the first frame rate is pre-configured with firstimaging parameters comprising a first line density and a first number oftimes for transmitting ultrasound waves; generating, via a processor, afirst contrast enhanced image according to the first ultrasound echosignal; receiving, via the processor, a mode switching instruction toswitch to a second imaging mode, wherein the second imaging modecomprises a second frame rate greater than the first frame rate, and thesecond frame rate is pre-configured with second imaging parameterscomprising a second line density less than the first line density and asecond number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves, wherein thesecond number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves is less thanthe first number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves;transmitting, via the probe, second ultrasound waves in the secondnumber of times to the target object and receiving second ultrasoundechoes returned from the target object according to the second imagingmode to obtain a second ultrasound echo signal; and generating, via theprocessor, a second contrast enhanced image according to the secondultrasound echo signal.
 7. An ultrasound imaging device, comprising: aprobe; a transmitting circuit which excites the probe to transmitultrasound waves to a target object; a receiving circuit which receivesultrasound echoes returned from the target object through the probe toobtain an ultrasound echo signal; a processor configured to process theultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image of the targetobject; a display which displays the ultrasound image; wherein theprocessor is further configured to: receiving a first instruction;determining a first imaging mode from preset imaging modes in responseto the first instruction, wherein the first imaging mode comprises afirst frame rate, and the first frame rate is pre-configured with firstimaging parameters comprising a first line density and a first number oftimes for transmitting ultrasound waves; transmitting first ultrasoundwaves in the first number of times to a target object and receivingfirst ultrasound echoes returned from the target object according to thefirst imaging mode to obtain first ultrasound echo signals; generating afirst contrast enhanced image having the first frame rate in the firstline density according to the first ultrasound echo signals; receiving asecond instruction; determining a second imaging mode from the presetimaging modes in response to the second instruction, wherein the secondimaging mode comprises a second frame rate greater than the first framerate, and the second frame rate is pre-configured with second imagingparameters comprising a second line density less than the first linedensity and a second number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves,wherein the second number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves isless than the first number of times for transmitting ultrasound waves;transmitting second ultrasound waves in the second number of times tothe target object and receiving second ultrasound echoes returned fromthe target object according to the second imaging mode to obtain secondultrasound echo signals; and generating a second contrast enhanced imagehaving the second frame rate in the second line density according to thesecond ultrasound echo signals.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein thefirst frame rate of the first contrast enhanced imaging mode is apre-configured fixed frame rate, wherein the pre-configured fixed framerate of the first contrast enhanced imaging mode is smaller than thesecond frame rate of the second contrast enhanced imaging mode.
 9. Thedevice of claim 7, wherein the first imaging parameter further comprisesat least one of a first imaging range and a first pulse repetitionfrequency; and the second imaging parameter further comprises at leastone of a second imaging range and a second pulse repetition frequency;and wherein the first imaging range is greater than the second imagingrange, or the first pulse repetition frequency is lower than the secondpulse repetition frequency.
 10. The device of claim 7, wherein, thesecond contrast enhanced imaging mode is pre-configured with at leasttwo frame rates and an execution sequence of the at least two framerates, wherein each of the at least two frame rates is pre-configuredwith a corresponding imaging parameter and an imaging duration, and theprocessor is further configured to: receive a third instruction;sequentially transmit the second ultrasound waves to the target objectand receive the second ultrasound echoes returned from the target objectaccording to the execution sequence, the pre-configured imagingparameter of a corresponding frame rate and a corresponding imagingduration in response to the third instruction to obtain the secondultrasound echo signals; and sequentially generate contrast enhancedimages according to the obtained second ultrasound echo signals.
 11. Thedevice of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive a fourth instruction; and stop transmitting ultrasound waves tothe target object and receiving ultrasound echoes returned from thetarget object in response to the fourth instruction.